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Tour Guide Helpers in Malacca!

4.18.2016

Visiting neighboring states just for food and a few sightseeing locations before coming back up to KL are one of the many common things we locals do for the sake of food believe it or not lol.

So a whole empty day and belly is very much needed before the journey, this is our advice to our tourist friends who come down for a visit. 2 weekends ago, had the honor of bringing 2 new Japanese friends Miyage-san & Kikuchi-san around Malacca and KL for some sightseeing and good local food alongside with some old friends like Reno, Amelia and Kazu from the ACG scene!

Miyage-san & Kikuchi-san are here in Malaysia for a short trip, so i guess the first thing every tourist must know what to do in Malaysia is TO EAT ( 食べる- Taberu) and not watch the weighing scale while you are here because the amount of food variety available here is insane. That's how much we Malaysians love our food.

So cool, that Miyage-san & Kikuchi-san have digital cameras that could print photos on the spot and as many copies as they like! I remember having a similar camera toy last time that prints only 1 photo per shot something like a Polaroid but it was waaaaayyy before Polaroids became mainstream.

Feels almost like a regular thing for me to bring down Japanese friends to my hometown Malacca as this is the 2nd time already in a year, previous one was earlier this year with a friend i met during the Chiba Monitor Tour, :D

I did realized that traveling in a van is so so much more comfortable than budget buses, which their drivers all drive like mad men on the road T_T

Despite it being a busy week, i am surprised that i did not collapse from exhaustion but i did crash on the floor upon reaching home that night.

Miyage-san was so cute when he saw our "rare" public phone, i admit that these kind of public phones isn't a common sight anymore in Malaysia and even if you do see one, it's probably non functional lol. But in Japan you'll see public phones almost on every street and it's working!

Walking to Jonker

We didn't do much walking as our tour van did most of the transporting around which we were super thankful for as the heat can be quite unbearable since Malacca is quite close to the sea and the temperature tends to be higher than average KL temperature readings. Imagine my face every Chinese New Year (hottest time of the year) when i come back here, all i want to do is lie on the cold cement floor like the kampung cats lol.

Guess to our guests, our weather is basically their summer in Japan but ours is whole year round y while they have different seasons *sobs*, kinda miss Japan's Autumn/Winter weather now. I rather say 'samui 寒い' than 'atsui 暑い' any day lol

Covered a few notable places and climbed up Fort Famosa (built by the Dutch) along the way, it was quite a hike up but i am proud of Kikuchi-san & Miyage-san for bearing the excruciating heat just to reach the top of the fort! That's where the best view is, you can see 'selat Melaka', also known as The Strait of Malacca, which played a huge role in Malacca's development's history or in general entire Malaysia as early goods trading is done by the harbor since the 6th century.

We got a photobomb alert lol.

Overlooking Selat Malacca, if it wasn't too hazy you could probably get a clearer view and beyond.

This fort was first used as an observation deck but now a memorial site.

There are many historical sites in Malacca that can be easily covered in a day for those who are planning on sparing a day here because most of them are within walking distance from each other (1-2km) and they serve tons of delicious local street food/ snacks along the way. Rest assured you will never feel hungry in Malaysia.

We also managed to visit my heritage's museum, one of my favorite places to bring foreign friends to as it will boggle their minds about how Peranakan race came about lol. Thank goodness Kazu & Amelia managed to explain abit on the way down from KL-Malacca so Kikuchi-san & Miyage-san weren't so confused when our tour guide explained further in depth about the Baba & Nyonya culture.
I am proud to be partial Nyonya thanks to my Mom's side, you can call me a "haffu はっふ" a common pop culture slang used to describe a person of a mix race XD
Don't feel insulted when one calls you a 'haffu'* or 'gaijin'* because there is no rude nor ill intentions intended :)

'haffu'* or 'gaijin'*- Mix race person or foreigner

But sadly this culture is a dying one, and to meet a pure Baba, Nyonya local that still practices their old ways is a real treat as you won't find them anymore in this current younger generation as most of them are in their 50s or above that. It is also rare to find young ones, maybe a handful of them but do take note that there are 2 places that Baba & Nyonya-s can originate from in Malaysia. It's either Malacca or Penang, but both carry similar dressing styles, lifestyle and dishes, just a few different tweaks here & there.

Baba & Nyonya is basically a mixture of 2 different heritages fused into one which is mainland China's chinese & our locals here via Intermarriage.

"Most Peranakans are of Hoklo (Hokkien) ancestry, although a sizeable number are of Teochew or Hakka descent including a small minority of Cantonese.Baba Nyonya are a subgroup within Chinese communities. Peranakan families occasionally imported brides from China and sent their daughters to China to find husbands.

Intermarriage in Malaysia occurs more frequently between Peranakan and people of Indian Chitty and Serani ethnicity rather than Malay because of endogamous religious laws. These require non-Muslims intending to marry Malay-Muslims first to convert to Islam. Peranakan are not always willing to alter their religious and cultural identity in this way.- Wikipedia"

So hope you guys understand abit more about the Peranakan culture, and if you are planning to come down to Malacca for a holiday do drop by the Peranakan Museum it's nearby Jonker Walk (everyone's must visit place), there are pre-book tours available as well on their website: http://babanyonyamuseum.com/

This museum isn't a replica by the way, everything is left original and intact since the 1861. But take note that "NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED" in the museum as it might compromise the old photos or other displays.

Beer please!

Nothing but cold beer on a hot saturday afternoon *ahhh~*

A groupfie is always needed!

Must take note to always bring my selfie stick around next time lol

*いただきます*

Some local nyonya dishes, not exactly a Nyona's specialty but it's one of the few common dishes served la lol. If my late granddad was still around i would bring all my guest back home to enjoy his delicious authentic Peranakan dishes! My granddad was one of the best cooks I've ever known, and i am sad that i didn't learn any of his secret recipes, especially his homemade kaya spread. Kinda miss him right now :'(

On the way back from Malacca, practically all of us KO-ed but thank goodness no un-glam photos were taken XD
Because i swore i slept with my mouth open from the angle of my head resting backwards on the chair seat, thinking about it makes me kinda regret right now lol.
And never knew scouting around KL for good food was hard too, think foodie guides should be the next upcoming job opportunity for food bloggers out there if they do collaborate with tour guide companies lol.

Last group photo before we depart!

Hope both of you had fun on your short stay here in Malaysia, Miyage-san & Kikuchi-san!

See you in Tokyo & Hokkaido soon.

Thank you so much to Nishio-san from A to Z language centre for this wonderful opportunity as well, really wished i could speak Japanese more fluently in the future rather than just listening :)

I'll make sure to work hard to achieve that, so Japanese friends please be patient with me and i'll one day speak your language proudly and not in rojak* form lol. What a fruitful weekend indeed~

So Japanese friends, if you have other friends or family members planning to come down to Malaysia and would like a guided tour to Malacca (with local Japanese speakers) you know who to find!